The Association of Science and Technology Parks of Spain (APTE) took part in the 42nd World Conference of the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP), held in Beijing (China) from 17 to 19 September. The event brought together representatives from science and technology parks, innovation areas, and organisations linked to R&D&I from around the globe, with the aim of discussing the future of these spaces in a global context shaped by digitalisation, sustainability, and industrial transformation.
Throughout the programme, several representatives from APTE member parks and the association itself contributed as speakers and moderators, sharing the vision and experience of the Spanish ecosystem:
Sonia Palomo, Director of Technology Transfer and International Relations at Málaga TechPark, took part in the panel Role and impact of science parks in urban development, where she explained Málaga TechPark’s role in urban collaboration and the expansion of the innovation ecosystem.
Carina Rapetti, Director General of the Triple Helix Association and Project Manager at La Salle – Universitat Ramon Llull, joined the session Work, live, play: urban entrepreneurial spaces, contributing her perspective on innovation ecosystem governance and the development of innovation districts.
Cristina Andrés, Head of Marketing and Innovation at the Euskadi Technology Park, spoke in the plenary session Industrial development driven by innovation spaces, where she presented the multi-campus evolution of the Euskadi Technology Park in Bilbao as a model for urban transformation and industrial growth.
Josep M. Piqué, CEO of La Salle Technova Barcelona, moderated a debate focused on governance and implementation strategies for innovation districts, sharing experiences from Brazil, China, and Italy.
Soledad Díaz, Managing Director of APTE, participated in the session AI and digitalisation transforming innovation communities, where she reflected on how AI can strengthen the teams working within science and technology parks in managing their innovation ecosystems and in designing new spaces to stimulate them.
Juan Antonio Bertolín, General Director of Espaitec Science and Technology Park at Universitat Jaume I of Castelló, joined the panel Future trends in innovation spaces over the next 20 years, addressing the vision of European science and technology parks towards unified cross-border collaboration to tackle the challenges of the next two decades.
The Spanish delegation’s agenda was packed with meetings and visits. In addition to learning first-hand about Zhongguancun Science Park, the largest science and technology park in Beijing, they had the opportunity to visit Huawei’s R&D centre in the city, where they were introduced to the Chinese company’s latest solutions and products for industrial digital transformation, energy efficiency, and the development of smart campuses with AI as a cornerstone.
The Spanish delegation also took part in a business meeting with organisations from the Jiaming Mapfre Industrial Park.
Spanish participation in this year’s IASP conference highlighted the international reach of APTE’s member parks, as well as their strategic role in economic development, talent attraction, digital and industrial transformation, and their ability to develop new international collaboration strategies. Attending events of this kind is key to advancing these objectives.
The 42nd IASP World Conference reinforced the commitment of the global network of science and technology parks to exchanging experiences and best practices, contributing to the building of more sustainable, digital, and collaborative innovation ecosystems.